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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ball — a dance
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wax — to grow
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — a law
  16. craft — a skill
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rest — what's left
  19. ball — a great time
  20. rest — a break
  21. rule — government
  22. bear — the animal
  23. degree — from a university
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com